Text Size

HOUSE STARTS TAX OVERHAUL WORK -- Jonathan Weisman reports for the New York Times: “The push for a broad overhaul of the federal tax code will begin in earnest next week with a series of meetings between Representative Dave Camp, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Republican rank-and-file. … Mr. Camp will hold a series of planning sessions next week in the leadership office of Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority whip. The idea is to lay out the magnitude of the challenge, [Ways and Means spokesman Sage] Eastman said. Not only are the Bush tax cuts expiring, but Congress has yet to renew dozens of routine tax breaks for businesses that expired last year, or pass a measure to stave off expansion of the alternative minimum tax into the middle class, another usually routine measure.” http://nyti.ms/IjAUS9

PELOSI ZINGS BOENHER -- Appearing last night on “The War Room,” a Current TV show hosted by former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi took a shot at her successor in the Speaker’s chair: "If there's one thing we can give John Boehner credit for, it's that he made it OK to cry in public,” Pelosi said.

BOEHNER WANTS KEYSTONE LINK TO HIGHWAY BILL -- “Speaker John Boehner is reportedly preparing a 90-day ‘clean’ extension of federal highway and transit programs that would include provisions opening the Keystone pipeline as a vehicle for beginning conference talks with the Senate, GOP aides said today,” John Stanton writes for Roll Call. “... Passing a short-term measure that includes Keystone is a key step for Boehner. He hopes to include some energy provisions in a final transportation conference, because the rules require one chamber to include a provision in its version of a bill if it is to be considered in order during conference proceedings. More significantly, it could help coax holdout conservatives to back the bill.” http://bit.ly/IeD6bz

FIRST LOOK: USING OBAMA’S WORDS AGAINST HIM – House Republicans are taking sound bites from the president to make their own argument against the Buffett Rule tax on millionaires. In a new YouTube video, Obama says: Others “are saying, ‘Well, this is just a gimmick, just imposing the Buffett Rule won’t do enough to close the deficit,’ Well, I agree. But the notion that it doesn’t solve the entire problem doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it at all.” That’s an understatement, Republicans say: Revenue from the Buffett Rule wouldn’t even cover 1 percent of the deficit. Video here:http://youtu.be/HEiSVgTlfW0

GSA PROBE WIDENS, ISSA REQUESTS CONFERENCE RECORDS FROM 23 AGENCY HEADS –Darrell Issa isn’t just targeting the General Services Administration over extravagant spending at its Las Vegas conference. He’s going after the entire Obama administration. The House Oversight Committee chairman took to Fox News this week to announce he would probe conference spending for all federal agencies. Huddle obtained a copy of his formal request, which went to 23 agency heads and asks for: 1) A list of all overnight conferences attended by at least 50 employees since 2005, including cost, funding source. 2) The names, titles and salaries of individuals who planned the events. 3) The address of any website created to promote, track or commemorate department conferences.

-- Issa wrote: “As families around the country are having to spend less to make ends meet, the federal government must follow suit. The American people have an expectation that the federal government is not using their tax dollars to pay for lavish conferences or to fund the salaries of event planners.” The letter to Attorney General Eric Holder is here:http://bit.ly/HFLd49

W.H. ADMITS FUZZY GSA MATH -- Trying to defuse the brewing GSA scandal last week, the Obama administration said the GSA’s conference spending had started spiking under President George W. Bush. Turns out, they overplayed their hand. “The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee disclosed Thursday that the cost of GSA’s 2004 conference in Portland, Ore., was actually $401,024. The Obama administration had previously said the cost in 2004 for the conference was $93,000,” Seung Min Kim writes for the hometown paper. “That means spending for the biannual GSA conference … actually dipped 19 percent between 2004 and 2006, according to the committee’s data, which was prepared for them by the GSA. Going by the White House’s numbers, it would have been a 248 percent increase between those years — illustrating the skyrocketing costs for the GSA conference under President George W. Bush’s tenure. A senior administration official on Thursday didn’t dispute the numbers released by the committee.” http://politi.co/HEeMEw

--The General Services Administration also invented awards as an excuse to hold dinners, Roll Call’s Jonathan Strong reports. One of the invented awards was the “Jackass Award.” “House Republicans say the ‘jackass award’ and other revelations in interviews conducted by the inspector general show that the problem is deeper than the Las Vegas conference,” Strong writes. “Describing the award ceremonies, as a ‘running joke,’ the employee said, supervisors explained that the fake awards were designed to justify dinner events at the conferences.” http://bit.ly/HAq7qv

NORTH KOREA ROCKET FAILS – The NYT’s Choe Sang-Hun and Rick Gladstone report: “North Korea defied international warnings of censure and further isolation on Friday, launching a rocket that the United States and its allies called a provocative pretext for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that might one day carry a nuclear warhead. But in what was a major embarrassment to the North and its young new leader, the rocket disintegrated moments after the launching, and American and Japanese officials said its remnants fell harmlessly into the sea. After hours of silence, North Korea’s state-run news media announced that the satellite the rocket had been carrying ‘failed to enter its preset orbit.’ …It was the first time the North has publicly acknowledged a long-range missile or satellite failure. Officials from Japan, South Korea and the United States, which had been monitoring for signs of the launching, condemned it as a belligerent act that endangered regional stability — even though it had failed. American officials said food aid that they had planned to send to North Korea to help feed its malnourished population would be suspended.” http://nyti.ms/ID6bPU

-- Senate Minority Leader Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) was one of the first to condemn the action: “Today’s failed satellite launch by North Korea is yet another provocative action undertaken by the regime in Pyongyang. …” he said in a statement. “Once again, Pyongyang has demonstrated its complete disregard for international sanctions and its proclivity for worthless commitments.”

GRASSLEY: ‘STUPID’ REMARK WAS, WELL, STUPID -- At the very least, he regrets tweeting it. “That tweet didn’t go across very well,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told Yahoo! News’ Virginia Heffernan. “It was not a diplomatic approach,” he said. “Because everyone knows, and I know, the president is an intelligent person. He’s very intelligent.” http://yhoo.it/HOKw5L

JOHNSON PREPS STAFF PURGE -- It’s always fun to find out you might lose your job from a news story. Meredith Shiner reports for Roll Call: “Freshman GOP Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) is looking to purge nearly his entire Washington, D.C.-based legislative team, according to multiple Republican sources familiar with the situation. Johnson’s frustration with his legislative staff has been one of the worst-kept secrets in Washington for months, those close to Republican Conference politics said. … The top brass of the Senate Republican Steering Committee … have connected at least one Johnson legislative aide with another GOP Senate office, and sources indicated they may be helping others find jobs before they are asked to permanently clear their desks.”

--Shiner has an anonymous quote from a top GOP aide comparing Johnson to a 2-year-old: “While top Republican sources expressed exasperation at the internal turmoil in Johnson’s office, they also noted that the Wisconsin freshman has not been diligent in building relationships with other Senators within the Conference and has alienated himself by not reaching out more frequently to colleagues. … ‘It’s kind of like watching a temper tantrum by a 2-year-old in the middle of the grocery store.’ [a senior GOP aide said.]” http://bit.ly/J0d4t8

--Of course, Johnson issues a firm, on-the-record denial in the story, something his spokesman, Brian Faughnan, reiterated when Huddle asked about the piece:"This story is categorically untrue. The allegations come only from unnamed sources reporting second and third-hand rumors. Senator Johnson has had very little staff turnover. He is also proud of the relationships he has built with his Senate colleagues - which was shown pretty clearly when he garnered 22 votes in his recent Republican Senate leadership race. You can’t do that without establishing relationships. He's also quite proud of the outreach he has done to Members of the House, with whom he is working to develop a coordinated agenda."

** A message from the National Association of Manufacturers: The Export-Import Bank's authorization expires in 49 days. Now is the time for Congress to help small business exporters and save jobs. The Bank's transactions support nearly 290,000 jobs in the United States - that's 1,000 jobs every working day for a year. Support the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank -- it's all about jobs! Learn more at www.nam.org/exim.**

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Please send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints, corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC. Jake is @jakesherman, Jon is @jonallendc and Robillard is @PoliticoKevin.

My new followers include, but are not limited to @RussCarnahan @garlindin2012.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – Both the House and Senate are out for their spring recess. Congress returns on Monday.

GIFFORDS COULD BE AT DNC -- Mark Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), told Charlotte’s ABC affiliate his wife might appear at the Democratic National Convention, depending on her rehab schedule. Kelly said Giffords is now rehabbing six days a week. http://bit.ly/IN3oWf

ESTABLISHMENT RIDES TO LUGAR RESCUE -- While the Club for Growth and NRA are pouring big money into the Hoosier State in support of state Treasurer Richard Mourdock in his primary against Sen. Richard Lugar, the more establishment American Action Network is spending $590,000 on ads attacking Mourdock. POLITICO’s Maggie Haberman has the scoop: “The ad, which launches tomorrow on broadcast, will run through May 4. The cost of the flight is $590,000. There will also be a digital ad component, and a limited statewide mail buy, in the AAN campaign.” http://politi.co/HEhqMx

--TIME columnist Michael Crowley takes on the end of the bromance between President Barack Obama and Lugar:http://ti.me/HAocSB

SCOTT BROWN SIPS BREWS, DRIVES -- BuzzFeed’s Rosie Gray flags a bit from a Boston Herald column discussing Sen. Scott Brown’s trip to a South Shore brewery. Brown sips sample brews with a Herald reporter, then gets into his famous pick-up truck to drive to his next campaign stop. The headline on BuzzFeed’s piece? “Scott Brown Drinks, Drives In Boston Herald Column.” So was he sober enough to get behind the wheel? Probably, given that Brown is 6’2’’ and these were described as “small sample cups.” But the piece never describes how many he downed or over what period. Gray does point out: “Drinking and driving aside, it's this kind of campaigning that gives ‘Scotto’ an edge in Massachusetts, where a successful populist approach hinges on appreciating a good drink and talking credibly about the Red Sox.” http://bit.ly/ILygqh

--Brown’s out with a new radio ad celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, which the Red Sox are celebrating during their home opener today. In the ad, Brown thanks the Red Sox ownership group for renovating the park instead of tearing it down. But that wasn’t always his position. “In early January 2001, he asked New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to consider a proposal that would move Fenway next to the Patriots' complex in Foxboro,” the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein writes. “‘Exploring the possibility of a Red Sox relocation to Foxboro makes fiscal and economic sense,’ Brown wrote at the time. He was far from the only political figure in the state who, before new ownership came in, basically dismissed Fenway's future in Boston.” http://huff.to/HDIA4cAnd here’s the ad:http://youtu.be/gXf9GIsX-ps

CLINTON BACKS CRITZ -- “Bill Clinton is getting behind Pennsylvania Rep. Mark Critz less than two weeks before the congressman faces off against fellow Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire,” Alex Isenstadt writes for POLITICO. Clinton’s endorsement was key to businessman John Delaney’s upset of Rob Garagiola in a Maryland primary earlier this month, and a Critz win would make Clinton 2-for-2. http://politi.co/HvjDFDClinton is also appearing in a new ad with Critz, which attacks Altmire over his vote for a balanced budget amendment: http://youtu.be/kqSpbD4TBm8

I WILL GIVE YOU $1M TODAY FOR $400K IN NON-PROFIT FUNDING TOMORROW -- POLITICO Pro’s Burgess Everett reports: “Congress has a $1 million plan to send $400,000 a year to a nonprofit. The budget wonks at the Congressional Budget Office estimate a bill from Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) that seeks to take about $400,000 annually in unclaimed money left at security checkpoints and send it to the USO will increase federal spending by $1 million in the first year. The reason: The measure would deplete money already penciled in for the Transportation Security Administration budget. … And there’s about $1.2 million in unclaimed money now under TSA purview that would go to the USO — a shift that would increase direct spending because there is no plan to fill the hole resulting from the transfer.” http://politi.co/HEkrfV

ALLEN STILL WON’T ENDORSE ROMNEY -- Despite the all-but-certain victory of Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary, the Washington Post’s Ben Pershing reports former Republican Sen. George Allen, who is trying to take back his old seat in a race against Democrat Tim Kaine, is still to declining to officially endorse the former Massachusetts governor. Allen has two candidates running to his right in a primary, and backing Romney could upset some conservatives. http://wapo.st/IFZZu9

KUCINICH STILL CONSIDERING WASHINGTON STATE BID -- KING5’s Robert Mak reports Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich is still considering making a bid for Congress in Washington State. “Washington will be home to three open-seat congressional races this fall -- in the 1st, 6th and the newly created 10th districts. During his current trip to the state, Kucinich is scheduled to speak at events in the 9th and 10th,” Mak writes. http://bit.ly/HAnVKU

AFL-CIO SUPER PAC WON’T AID DEMS -- Workers’ Voice, a new AFL-CIO-backed Super PAC, won’t be directly aiding Democratic lawmakers this fall, the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein reports: “Officials … said on Thursday that they would not be making any direct donations to candidates running for office. Instead, the money will go into supporting an extensive network of 14,000 ‘work-sites’ designed to facilitate the largest grassroots operation the labor community has ever undertaken.” The group also won’t be targeting moderate Democrats, as some labor organizations did in 2010. http://huff.to/Ijqp1o

REHBERG, TESTER TIE IN Q1 -- The Associated Press reports: “Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and Republican challenger Rep. Denny Rehberg are reporting that they each raised $1.2 million in the first three months of 2012. … [Tester] has $4.28 million cash left in the bank. … [Rehberg] has $2.7 million cash on hand.” http://bit.ly/HPHt0B

MENENDEZ CHALLENGER RAISES $1.75M -- The Star-Ledger’s Matt Friedman reports: “In his campaign for U.S. Senate, Republican state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos has raised $1.75 million so far, according to a press release issued by his campaign today. … Menendez has not yet released his most recent fundraising report, but as of December 31 he had almost $8.2 million in the bank.” http://bit.ly/HAgd8v

MOURDOCK RAISES MORE, BUT HAS LESS -- Lesley Weidenbenner reports for the Indianapolis Star: “Mourdock raised $875,000 from Jan. 1 through March 31 in his bid to unseat Lugar … But the Mourdock campaign had just $430,000 when the period ended. … Lugar, meanwhile, raised $817,000 for the quarter but had $2.5 million left to spend on ads and other campaigning.” http://indy.st/HFnXTE

THURSDAY’STRIVIA WINNER – We’re declaring Tom Flanagin this week’s trivia champ. He again was first to correctly answer that Major Archibald Butt served as a top military aide to Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft before he died in the sinking of the Titanic.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Neil Townsend, reading us from India, has today’s question:William Taft started the tradition of the Presidential "first pitch" on April 4, 1910, during an opening day game between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics. Since Taft's first pitch, every president but one has opened at least one baseball season during their tenure. Who is the exception? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

THE NATS’ LINE – Jon Allen’s report: Ryan Zimmerman, who seemed to be trying to boot away Thursday's home opener in the field, redeemed himself by scoring the winning run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning. His run gave the Nats a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds and sole possession of first place in the National League East. Gio Gonzalez pitched seven scoreless innings for DC, striking out seven and giving up just two hits. Closer Brad Lidge blew a 2-0 lead in the top of the ninth -- a lead the Nats had taken on Adam LaRoche's two-run single earlier in the game. The two clubs are back in action tonight at 7:05 pm on South Capitol Street. Jordan Zimmermann (0-1, 1.29 ERA) pitches for the Nats and Bronson Arroyo (0-0, 5.68 ERA) takes the ball for the Reds.

**A message from the National Association of Manufacturers: Every day, the Export-Import Bank is helping small and medium-sized manufacturers create jobs and compete globally. The Export-Import Bank's authorization is set to expire on May 31, and failure to reauthorize the Bank will damage manufacturers' competitiveness, costing jobs and harming economic growth. More than 85 percent of the Bank's customers are small and medium-sized businesses -- the lifeblood of our economy -- and will be negatively impacted if the Ex-Im Bank is not reauthorized. The Bank supports nearly 290,000 jobs in the United States -- that's 1,000 jobs every working day for a year. And the Export-Import Bank supports manufacturers at no cost to the taxpayer. From FY06 to FY10, the Bank returned more than $3.4 billion to the Treasury. Support the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank -- it's all about jobs! Learn more at www.nam.org/exim.

Readers' Comments (1)

HOUSE STARTS TAX OVERHAUL WORK -- Jonathan Weisman reports for the New York Times: “The push for a broad overhaul of the federal tax code will begin in earnest next week with a series of meetings between Representative Dave Camp, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Republican rank-and-file.......................................................................... Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha...................... The Chicago Cubs will win a World Series before the House ever moves to fix the tax code.